Some background information about my reviews; only the first issue has been reviewed from the English versions. Some of the manga may receive poorer story ratings in English than they would if I read them in the original Japanese. These ratings are taken only from my perspective and taste in manga--this means that I only read Shonen/Shoujo or Seinen manga that have more historical or modern day time lines. Keep in mind that I do not like big robots, space patrols, cyborgs or futuristic manga. I don't like the sappy, girly, love stories. I don't like T and A hentai or shonen-ai (gay men) manga either. Give me Samurais, hack and slash, horror, gothic themes, fantastic magic, or a historical perspective and I'm happy manga reader.
Lone Wolf and Cub
Story: Kazuo Koike
Art: Goseki Kojima
Rating (Age): Teen (13+)
Genre (Type): Samurai/Historical (Seinen)
Overall: Great story and Very Good art. I will continue with this manga.
Lone Wolf (Itto Ogami) pushes Cub (his son Daigoro) in a baby carriage with a banner that proclaims "Son for Hire, Sword for
Hire".
Samurai Deeper Kyo
Story: Akimine Kamijyo
Art: Akimine Kamijyo
Rating (Age): Older Teen (16+)
Genre (Type): Samurai/Fantasy (Seinen/Shonen)
Overall: Good story and Good art. Most likely I will continue with this manga.
Samurai Deeper Kyo is about Mibu Kyoshiro a travelling medicine salesman. Deep beneath his quiet and silly exterior lies Deamon Eyes Kyo. Much like the Incredible Hulk, Kyo only shows himself when Kyoshiro is threatened. The artwork is excellent. Each cell is well drawn and easy to follow. The action scenes get a little confusing when only glanced at, but there are many less obvious clues in each cell that tells the rest of the story.
Bastard!! -- A Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy
Story: Kazushi Hagiwara
Art: Kazushi Hagiwara
Rating (Age): Mature (18+)
Genre (Type): Fantasy (Shonen)
Overall: Good story and Good art. Most likely I will continue with this manga.
This is definitely a Shonen. It would have been a great read when I was in Junior High School and listened to Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and other heavy metal in the 80's. This is much like the movie Heavy Metal; there is a lot of music references (like the city of Metallicana or the Imperial House of Judas).
Shaolin Sisters
Story: Toshiki Hirano
Art: Narumi Kakinouchi
Rating (Age): Youth (7+)
Genre (Type): Martial Arts/Fantasy (Shoujo)
Overall: Good story but OK art. Will not buy any more issues.
This manga has some poor cells with little art portrayed. Action scenes are not vibrant or full (very sparce lines perhaps to show speed) which make them seem less exciting. But then again this is a Shoujo. It really might appeal to younger girls.
Chronicles of the Cursed Sword
Story: Yuy Beop-Ryong
Art: Park Hui-Jin
Rating (Age):Teen (13+)
Genre (Type): Hack and Slash/Fantasy (Shonen)
Overall: OK Story and Good art. Probably won't buy more than the first issue.
This manga is not really to my taste. It is more for the younger reader.
Petshop of Horrors
Story: Matsuri Akino
Art: Matsuri Akino
Rating (Age): Teen (13+)
Genre (Type): Horror/Tragedy (Shonen / Shoujo)
Overall: Great story and Awesome art. Definitely worth buying all issues.
In the first book, horror is an overstatement. These stories are more tragic than horrific. The stories are nearly independant from each other and you could read any book out of order and not be lost. There is a bit of mystery in the main charatcer. The holes in the story (which are intentional) are small enough to ignore, but big enough to drive a truck through. As an example, the petshop owner has not given his name to anyone, everyone calls him D. The petshop is called Count D's, but Count D is D's grandfather (who is out of the country on business). So you could really not ever know who D is while still enjoying the mystery, but this lack of information is so large that it is wide enough to drive a truck through.
Battle Royale
Story: Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi
Art: Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi
Translation: Keith Giffen
Rating (Age): Mature (18+) [Parental Advisory]
Genre (Type): Graphic Horror (Seinen / Shonen)
Overall: Great story and Good art. Definitely will buy all issues.
Well, this manga is everything it has been portrayed as being. Gruesome, twisted, psychotic; and those are the minor characters. This manga is definitely for the older crowd. I would warn against letting most high school students read this manga. But for the mature reader, if you can set aside some moral values and read this "Lord of the Flies"-esque manga you will not be disappointed.
Dark Angel
Story: Kia Asamiya
Art: Kia Asamiya
Rating (Age): Teen (13+)
Genre (Type): Hack and Slash/Fantasy (Shonen)
Overall: OK story and Good art. Will not buy more issues unless I've read everything else that interests me first.
This is a harder-than-average story to follow. The art is good, but the characters do not warrant any emotion.
Blade of the Immortal: Blood of a Thousand
Story: Hiroaki Samura
Art: Hiroaki Samura
Translation: Dana Lewis and Toren Smith
Rating (Age): Teen (13+)
Genre (Type): Samurai/Fantasy/History (Seinen / Shonen)
Overall: Great story and Awesome art. Definitely worth continuing.
The theme of this manga is samurai, but there is a juxtapose between the historical samurai and modern day cyberpunk. The slang of street corner punks is used to accent the mean and dirty nature of the bad guy (and the main charater). The art is awesome. It is pencil sketches that are vivid and have a wonderful flow. Take the time to read all of the introduction and background before you jump into this manga.
Dark Horse Comics
Tokyo Pop
Viz Comics
Things from another world
Kodan Club